Duolingo's list of courses, checked on October 15, 2026, has Chinese (Simplified) offered from 28 languages and nothing for Northeastern Mandarin. According to Duolingo's blog, that course teaches Mandarin, China's official language, built on the Beijing dialect.
About 98 million people speak Northeastern Mandarin, mostly in Heilongjiang, Jilin, and Liaoning. Harbin speech sounds close to Standard Mandarin, so the local words are what stand out. A friend in Harbin asks 你搁哪儿呢？ for "Where are you?", and 整 can stand for almost any action, as in 整点儿吃的 ("make something to eat"). Our Northeastern Mandarin app comparison covers more apps and videos.
Custom Lessons Made for You
Bubblegum
For serious learners, Bubblegum is the best app to learn Northeastern Mandarin. You learn from Northeastern Mandarin you can mostly understand, which is called comprehensible input.
Poppy, your AI tutor in Bubblegum, writes Northeastern Mandarin lessons on the topics you choose, at the level you pick. Ask for a winter trip to the ice festival in Harbin, and your friends in the lesson chat in local speech, while a ticket seller may answer in Standard Mandarin, just as people there do. Ask Poppy about any word that's new to you.
Speaking practice with a real person isn't part of Bubblegum. The tutors and partners below can help with that.
- Northeastern Mandarin has a journey of its own in Bubblegum, from Level 1 to Level 6, in Simplified characters.
- Grammar cards explain 嘎哈, 贼, and other Northeastern forms.
- Read stories and news written in Northeastern speech.
- Saved words come back in new Northeastern lessons through Regenerative Review™.
- Clear, expressive AI voices read every lesson aloud, with a different voice for each speaker.
- You can't add texts you found yourself.
- A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn.
- Regenerative Review™
- Teaches Northeastern speech
- Teaches Pinyin
- Traditional characters
- Zhuyin
Mobile
Use Duolingo for Standard Mandarin
Duolingo
Use Duolingo for your first words and characters, then move to Northeastern lessons once you can read short sentences.
- Its Mandarin lessons are short and use Simplified characters.
- Every course is free to use.
- Standard Mandarin, not Northeastern speech
MobileWeb
Practice With People From the Northeast
italki
A tutor from the Northeast can switch into local speech when you ask, and tell you which words are casual.
- Pick a Chinese tutor and meet by video, one on one.
- Three trial classes cost less than $5 apiece.
MobileWeb
How to Start With Each App
| App | How You Can Start |
|---|---|
| Duolingo | Duolingo is free, and you can try Super Duolingo for 14 days. |
| italki | Signing up is free. Each lesson is paid, and trial lessons cost less. |
| Tandem | Joining is free, and Tandem Pro is an option. |
Common Questions
Which Northeastern Mandarin app should a beginner choose?
If you are serious about learning Northeastern Mandarin, start with Bubblegum. Poppy writes lessons at your level about things you like. Or start on Duolingo if you want short Standard Mandarin lessons first.
Is there an app of Northeastern phrases?
Dongbei 120 Phrase Cards is a small paid app with 120 Northeastern expressions in 10 groups. Each card has a picture and two recordings, one in Northeastern speech and one in Standard Mandarin, and its menus come in Japanese, English, or Korean.
Is Bubblegum free?
Yes. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn. It holds lessons that other learners asked Poppy for. A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons.
Sources
- Duolingo: course list (read October 15, 2026)
- Duolingo: Chinese (Simplified) course for English speakers
- Duolingo Blog: What Kind of Chinese Does Duolingo Teach?
- Duolingo: current iPhone listing
- Wikipedia: Northeastern Mandarin (where it is spoken, and about 98 million speakers in a 2012 estimate)
- Wikipedia: Harbin dialect (close in sound to Standard Mandarin)
- italki: Chinese teachers
- italki: current iPhone listing (three trial classes for less than $5 each)
- Tandem: Learn Chinese in Harbin
- Tandem: Learn Chinese in Shenyang
- Tandem: Learn Chinese in Changchun
- Tandem: current iPhone listing
- Dongbei 120 Phrase Cards on the App Store
- Bubblegum
- Duolingo
- Tandem
Checked on October 15, 2026 against each app's own pages.
